The Truth
by VicesVsVirtues
Summary: I wrote this for the Fandemonium Network's Hiatus Contest in which you had to pick a scene from the show (Season 1 and 2A) that was never completed, and finish it using no more than 1000 words. I chose this scene between Alec and Jace because I wanted them to show their Parabatai relationship more. Sadly, I didn't win.


_**A/N: I wrote this for a contest to finish a scene from the show during the season 2 break. I didn't win. but I'm bloody proud of it. I've had it posted over on AO3 for ages, and decided it was time to post more stuff on here too.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, but they kinda own me. Especially Jace!**_

 _ **Shadowhunters Hiatus FanFic Challenge**_

 _ **Author: mouse555**_

 _ **Episode: Season 2 Episode 10**_

Alec and Jace stood in the empty hallway of the institute, the sounds of people cleaning up after Valentine's attack filtering through to them from the rest of the building.

"How do you know it was the truth?" Alec asked, unsure of what to say to his parabatai.

"He had the Soul Sword in his hands."

Both of them knew the power of the sword, that it encouraged whomever was holding it to tell the truth, pure and simple. Jace could remember how it felt, holding it and trying to lie. The pain was unbearable, much like thinking Clary was his sister.

"So... Clary's not your sister?" Alec still couldn't believe what Jace was telling him. Jace looked at him, the pain clear in his eyes.

"She never was."

Alec sighed, knowing what the answer was going to be to his next question.

"What are you gonna do?"

"I'm gonna tell her."

"Are you sure it's the best thing to do? I mean... she's with Simon now."

"It's the only thing to do Alec. Even if she tells me that she doesn't love me, she still deserves to know the truth."

Jace thought about how it felt to find out he didn't have demon blood the way he's been led to believe by the man he thought was his father. The relief had been immense, if not a shock, and he would have been wanted to have been told if anyone else had known before he'd activated the Soul Sword.

"Okay. Go find Clary. I'll be with Magnus if you need me." Alec pulled Jace into a tight hug before leaving the blonde shadowhunter to his thoughts.

After a few minutes, Jace pushed away from the wall and went in search of the woman he knew he loved. For months, he'd been fighting his feelings thinking she was his sister and forbidden to him, but Valentine's revelation had changed all that.

Wandering through the institute, he could see his fellow shadowhunters cleaning their weapons as the downworlders were granted entry to the institute to collect their dead. Normally, Jace would be helping, but all he could think about was Clary.

Valentine, disguised as his father Michael Wayland, had told him once that when shadowhunters fall in love, they only do it once and it was for life. Was Clary his once? Was he the one for her? All he could do was to tell her the truth and find out. He was scared, something he'd only begun to experience after meeting the fiery redhead. Was this love? Living in constant fear that they'll get hurt?

Stopping for a moment, he rested his forehead against the cool wall of the institute's entrance hallway. His heart was pounding and his palms were sweaty. He felt sick, but after a couple of seconds, he pushed away, and carried on searching for Clary.

He could hear her voice outside. With a renewed energy, he made his way through the large doors and stopped dead at the top of the stairs.

Clary was laughing with Simon in the sunshine. Her face was full of joy. He took a small step forward to interrupt them, but when they started kissing, he turned around and went back inside, his heart hurting and his voice unable to produce the words he needed to say.

He knew he had to tell her the truth, but he needed to wait until he could speak to her alone, just the two of them. He needed to be able to watch her face as she realised the implications of what he told her.

Only then would he believe her if she told him she had chosen Simon over him.


End file.
